"Sophie, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I've been djing for a year and a half now off the back of my Subcity show, although I've yet to mix on the radio. My setup (Traktor, trackpad, sync button) is ridiculously simple and means I'm constantly zig-zagging between total impostor syndrome and proudly identifying as a fake laptop dj to defy the purists. Searching for Jersey remixes of all of my favourite songs is my equivalent of crate-digging."
"Deep Brandy Album Cuts is a pretty dope name. How did you come up with it?
All credit to Solange on that one! She tweeted this* in response to a reductive and context-free review of Brandy's terminally underrated 'Two Eleven', igniting a conversation about cultural ownership which continues to this day (one that, as a white DJ playing black music, it's vital I pay attention to). I remember mentally bookmarking the turn of phrase - one year later, when I finally plucked up the courage to apply for a Subcity show, I realised what it could be used for. Stubborn and shallow perceptions of rap and r&b as guilty pleasure genres remain, and 'deep brandy album cuts' crystallises my frustrations with those who are unwilling to engage with these incredible genres except when through a lens (held at arms-length) of nostalgia.
To be honest the name is a bit of a misnomer as I've done 30 shows now and I've still only ever played one Brandy track on air. Sorry Moesha!"
* https://twitter.com/solangeknowles/status/287600058776567808
"Your show on Subcity is on a serious party tip, what are your go to party tracks?
Full disclosure: this track premiered on a website I write for, but I was smitten with it long before it made its way to Truants HQ when I first heard it in Bok Bok's Fader mix. It's the Florentino remix of Maejor's 'Get You Alone'**, which trims the fat from the original while giving it a percussive Carnaval bounce.
I'm also still obsessed with GBM's Set Good riddim****, especially Tian Winter's version. It's rare to hear soca at 100bpm. Just like the Afrobeats remix of 'Freak of the Week' (where a ton of Ghanaian and Nigerian pop stars jumped on the Krept & Konan feat. Jeremih banger, which in turn samples the legendary Playground Riddim), there's a real melting pot of Caribbean, West African and The R&B Republic of Mustard styles going on in this beat."
** https://soundcloud.com/truants/exclusive-maejor-ft-jeremih
**** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQPbCyp1xns
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